Caught in vicious cycle

He's a bright young star of cycling, but Philippe Gilbert believes that his talent will not be enough for him to make it big

Saturday morning in Nantes is mild and misty and grey. A woman in a bright orange sweater walks her poodle along the banks of the Loire; a young man in a bright yellow football shirt waves to his girlfriend as she leaves for work; and across the road, on the first floor of the Mercure Hotel, rider No 176 kicks his legs out of bed and his countdown to the Tour de France begins. There is much that needs to be explained about rider No 176; he did not feature in any of the Tour previews yesterday morning and is unlikely to feature in the results this afternoon. On Tuesday he will celebrate his 23rd birthday with a lung-bursting 67km team time trial from Tours to Blois. It's his first Tour, and you'll get any price you like on him at your local bookies. His name is Philippe Gilbert. He